This invention generally relates to the art of fiber optic connectors and, particularly, to an alignment/guide pin subassembly for use in a fiber optic connector which mates with a complementary connecting device.
Fiber optic connectors of a wide variety of designs have been employed to terminate optical fiber cables and to facilitate connection of the cables to other cables or other optical fiber transmission devices. A typical fiber optic connector includes a ferrule which mounts and centers an optical fiber or fibers within the connector. The ferrule may be fabricated of such material as ceramic. A ferrule holder or other housing component of the connector embraces the ferrule and may be fabricated of such material as molded plastic. A spring may be disposed within the housing or ferrule holder such that the ferrule is yieldably biased forwardly for engaging another fiber-mounting ferrule of a mating connecting device.
A pair of fiber optic connectors or a connector and another optical fiber transmission device often are mated in an adapter which centers the fibers to provide low insertion losses. The adapter couples the connectors together so that their encapsulated fibers connect end-to-end. The adapter couples the connectors together so that their encapsulated fibers connect end-to-end. The adapter may be an in-line component, or the adapter can be designed for mounting in an opening in a panel, backplane, circuit board or the like.
One of the problems with mating fiber optic connectors of the character described above involves aligning the ferrules of opposing or mating connectors so that the fibers connect end-to-end with minimal transmission losses. For instance, it is known to provide a ferrule of one connector with a pair of alignment pins which are inserted into a pair of alignment holes in an opposing ferrule of a mating connector. The pair of alignment pins/holes typically are disposed at opposite ends of an array of terminated optical fibers. This alignment pin system has proven effective when aligning a single pair of mating ferrules. However, such alignment pin systems continue to be plagued with problems during assembly of the fiber optic connectors. Specifically, the alignment pins are very small, thin components and are difficult to handle or manipulate during assembly of the connectors either by hand or machine. The present invention is directed to solving these problems by providing a novel pin holding mechanism which mounts the pins as a subassembly which is easy to manipulate and assemble in the overall connector and which allows for full floating movement of the alignment pins in the subassembly.
An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide a fiber optic connector assembly with and a new and improved alignment pin holding subassembly which facilitates mounting the pins within the connector.
In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the connector includes a body for mating with a complementary connecting device. A ferrule is mounted on the body for terminating a plurality of optical fibers of a fiber optic cable. The ferrule has a forward mating face and a rear face. At least a pair of alignment pins extend through the ferrule and have distal ends projecting from the forward mating face of the ferrule for insertion into a pair of appropriate alignment holes in the complementary connecting device. A pin holding plate engages proximal ends of the alignment pins to hold the pins with the plate as a subassembly for mounting in the body behind the rear face of the ferrule. Preferably, the pin holding plate is fabricated of metal material and is generally planar in a direction generally perpendicular to the alignment pins.
According to one aspect of the invention, the pin holding plate has a pair of slots into which the alignment pins are retained to hold the pins assembled to the plate. The slots have restricted mouths past which the pins are snappingly retained in the slots. The slots are wider than the cross-dimensions of the alignment pins to provide for relative floating movement between the pins and the holding plate in a direction generally perpendicular to the pins. The alignment pins have reduced cross-sectional shank portions received in the slots. The lengths of the shank portions are greater than the thickness of the pin holding plate to provide for relative floating movement between the pins and the plate in a direction generally parallel to the pins.
According to another aspect of the invention, the pin holding plate has an outer periphery, with the slots being formed in the outer periphery of the plate. A recess is formed in the outer periphery of the plate for receiving the fiber optic cable so that the cable extends through the plate.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.